Will Trump’s economic tsunami undermine the US-Japan security partnership?

After months of fretting about Donald Trump’s return to the American presidency, the US-Japan relationship appeared to get off to a good start. A successful leaders’ summit and a visit from Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth that reaffirmed the importance of Japan in deterring China left Tokyo less alarmed.

But Trump’s decades-long convictions held firm: first, the derogatory mention of the “interesting deal” the United States has with Japan, then the hammer of harsh tariffs that left Japan reeling. The 90-day pause on “reciprocal” tariffs may offer temporary relief, but the whipsaw of policy changes severs stability. Will this economic tsunami undermine the security partnership that has held for over 60 years?

Even before the US announcements that Japan would pay 25 per cent on its car exports and 24 per cent on everything else (and before the Nikkei index plunged), Tokyo was facing a mountain of economic pressure.